1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to golf clubs and more particularly to a lie adjustable golf putter and a putter head with a dual curvature face.
2. Description of Prior Art
The game of golf is generally known and has been around for many generations. It is a game of accuracy, wherein the accuracy is based on the lowest score possible. The score is determined by the number of strokes required to place a golf ball in a cup which resides on a putting green.
There are many factors involved in reducing a golfer's score. One of the biggest factors involved in reducing the score is the use of proper clubs, more particularly the golf putter. A novice would have difficulty in determining the proper golf putter. There are many factors involved in the determination of a proper putter. One of the major factors is the lie of the putter head which is based on the angle between the putter head and shaft and the height and the stance of the golfer. Another factor is the type of stroke used by the golfer. There are several types of putters on the market and a golfer may be able to find a golf putter to meet his or her needs. It is, however, rare that a golfer finds a putter that matches their exact needs without going through several putters. This can get very expensive. Nonetheless, over time the golfer will have improved his or her skills, changed their stance or a change in their physic occurs, thereby requiring another putter that meets their need. These changes usually occur in beginners and young players. Even professional golfers, however, change as they strive to lower their score.
Due to the foregoing problems, it is preferred that a golfer be provided with one putter that can be customized to their needs and that can be adjusted as the golfer changes. Furthermore, this putter should maintain the customized adjustment until the golfer chooses to change it. The adjustment of such a putter should be controlled such that the user need not worry about meeting the specifications of major associations, such as The United State Golf Association (USGA). This putter should also be provided with a putter head that has a dual curvature face to provide maximum use of the sweet spot of the putter, regardless of the type of stroke of a golfer.
There are several adjustable putters described in the prior art that allow the golfer to customize their putter.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,051 discloses a golf putter whose design utilizes a gear-type tooth linkage pivot point on the shaft slightly above the head of the club. The main disadvantage with this design, and others similar to it, is that the gear type linkage allows only a certain finite amount of degree settings for the user to choose from due to the significant size of the teeth. This lack of true customization can preclude the player from setting his own desired lie angle. This type of linkage also creates an unnecessarily bulky structure around the shaft connection.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,665 delineates another design which induces undesirable qualities. The shaft is connected to a hosel which then connects to the rear surface of the putter head, opposite the striking surface. The nature of the connection is one of a pivot which allows for an adjustable angle between the horizontal plane of the putter head and the shaft. Since the pivot point is placed on the rear surface of the putter head, however, the distance between the shaft and actual point of contact is greater than that of conventional putters and tends to produce the adverse feeling of pushing the ball rather than a slight pulling, which is the favorable consensus of the golfing community.
The design disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,740 utilizes the putter's center of gravity as an ideal pivot point. This pivot is comprised of a circular array of like serrations which emanate from the defined pivot point. Another set of similar serrations are connected to the shaft by a hosel linkage. The two sets of radial serrations mate and are clamped together to form a semi-permanent angle between the horizontal lie of the putter head and the elongated shaft. A ring circumscribes the interface of the mating serrations to preclude any foreign matter from entering the space between the serrations. Though this design is well thought out in theory, it lacks the simplistic practicality desired by the greater mass of consumers. This design seems superfluously complex as it utilizes extraneous parts such as resistive springs and a circumscribing enclosing.